Thursday, December 27, 2012

A book is forever

It interests me that there is still ongoing debate about the value of books, but particularly the life expectancy of print books. While I received many beautiful gifts for Christmas (Italian pasta machine included in the tally) it is one of the books that I received that has most inspired me.
One of those books best described as a visual feast, full of colour, inspiration and creativity, it is the autobiography of Kaffe Fassett - Dreaming in colour. A combination of autobiographical musings, photographs of people significant to this artist and bulging with images of his artwork this book was always going to be a favourite. One of Kaffe's earlier works, Glorious Inspiration, sits on my shelf at home. It too has given me hours of pleasure over the years. Focused less on his paaterns and more on his designs and on what has given him inspiration over the years it is full of collectible items and object d'art from places the world over, including the Victoria and Albert Museum. Some items, readily identified within his artwork and design.
As an artist he is perhaps unique in that his career spans across a range of artistic medium....some less traditional than others....from knitting and textile design, to patchwork, mosaic and more traditional forms of painting. Add to that the fact that although he was US born, he was setting out as an artist in the UK in the sixties, and his story was always going to be an interesting one. I had the pleasure of listening to Kaffe speak at a public lecture some 15+ years ago, so this early introduction to the man and his work suggests that this book will keep me happily occupied, continuing to inspire for some time to come.
As for the print vs electronic debate? Give me a living breathing book that you can hold, browse, smell and touch anytime. Where is the romance in a backlit version?